Message to the Congress Transmitting a Report on the Prevention of Nuclear Proliferation May 16, 1994
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Administration of William J. Clinton, 1994 / May 16 Message to the Congress Transmitting a Report on the Prevention of Nuclear Proliferation May 16, 1994 To the Congress of the United States: activities between January 1, 1993, and Decem- As required under section 601(a) of the Nu- ber 31, 1993. clear Non-Proliferation Act of 1978 (Public Law 95±242; 22 U.S.C. 3281(a)), I am transmitting WILLIAM J. CLINTON a report on the activities of United States Gov- ernment departments and agencies relating to The White House, the prevention of nuclear proliferation. It covers May 16, 1994. Remarks at the NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund Dinner May 16, 1994 Thank you, Elaine. Thank you, I think. It's That's what it said. And it said that about the pretty hard to follow Elaine Jones, especially schools. And I was thinking what a difference when she's on a roll like she was tonight. it had made. I was thinking tonight as Elaine [Laughter] And the rabbi, sounding more like gave me my report card on judges and told a Baptist preacher every day. [Laughter] And me to do a little betterÐ[laughter]Ðthat today, Vernon, who speaks well when he's asleep. since I have been privileged to be your Presi- [Laughter] And Dan Rather with a sense of dent, there is a new minority in the Nation: humor. [Laughter] A minority of those who have been appointed Ladies and gentlemen, I come here over- to the Federal bench are white men. A majority whelmingly to do one thing, to say on behalf are women and people of color. And yet, the of a grateful nation, thank you. Thank you to appointees that I have sent to the Senate have the Legal Defense Fund. Thank you to the highest percentage of people rated well- Thurgood Marshall, in the presence of his won- qualified by the American Bar Association of derful wife. Thank you to Bill Coleman. Thank any President since those nominations have been you to Jack Greenberg. Thank you to Julius made. And I am proud of that. And Brown Chambers. Thank you, Elaine Jones. Thank you, v. Board of Education helped to make that pos- all of you who have made it possible for us sible. to come here today to celebrate the 40th anni- Oh, there's lots of other good things that hap- versary of Brown. Thank you. I thank Bob Ben- pened because of Brown. I wonder if some of nett and Chester Davenport and all those who the people who are in my administration today made this dinner possible. But most of all, I could be there were it not for Brown. Thurgood just wanted to say thank you. Marshall and Bill Coleman and Jack Greenberg, I was sitting out there looking at Elaine, lis- they believe we're one nation indivisible under tening to her say all these nice things, waiting, God, we're all going up or down together. What wondering how many days it would be before I wonder is whether the rest of us still believe I would get my next lectureÐ[laughter]Ðand that and, if so, whether we are prepared to what new challenge would be presented. endure the rigors of this time to make that Thurgood Marshall and this organization won real. 29 victories before the Supreme Court but none You know, I was raised in the South when as important as Brown. It changed our country I knew a lot of people who were second-class and our lives. In a clear voice it said that we citizens. I lived in a State where it took the could no longer be two nations, separate and President of the United States calling out the unequal. We are one people, one nation under National Guard simply to let my friend Ernest God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for all. Green and eight other people go to high school. 931 May 16 / Administration of William J. Clinton, 1994 And thanks to the work of this organization, me. And still today when I see people denying my daughter got to go to that school system each other's humanity, I remember the words and never know that, and I'm grateful. of Ralph Ellison, and I think we are trying to I think it's important for us not to let young make people who make us uncomfortable, who people today forget that. Tomorrow, Secretary threaten us, who frighten us, invisible. But they Riley and Ernest Green and Thurgood Marshall, will not go away. There are too many of us Jr., and I are going to Martin Luther King Jun- in this country today who simply don't accept ior High School in Beltsville, Maryland, to teach one another's legitimacy. young people why Brown and its ideas are still Last March, the leading moral voice for toler- important, why they still matter. But we have ance and reconciliation in Northern Ireland to ask ourselves whether we think they still mat- came to our country. His name is John Hume. ter. He's a Catholic member of the British Par- Recently in various speeches, my good friend liament who represents a city in Northern Ire- Vernon Jordan and then, last weekend at How- land where Catholics and Protestants have ard, General Colin Powell have reaffirmed the waged fights and built walls of hatred for 300 fundamental meaning of Brown in the face of years. The day after he had dinner with us at blacks and whites alike who seem to be retreat- the White House, he gave a speech in which ing from its lesson, either out of fear or resigna- he said this: ``The essence of the Irish problem tion that it is no longer possible to make it is a division in the hearts and minds of our real in our lives. people . let us walk to Abraham Lincoln's We see an alarming new study among Afri- Memorial and look at the message of peace can-Americans that warns of a pervasive sense that's written there for everybody, E Pluribus of alienation, especially among the young, so UnumÐfrom many, one. The essence of unity that fully half of them want to opt out of the is the acceptance of diversity.'' American system. They want to separate them- To be sure, there can be no unity when peo- selves. They believe that they're already a nation ple have not learned to accept one another as within a nation. That's why so many large they are and when they think they can only crowds, I think, are drawn to the message of fulfill themselves by denying others' humanity. those who preach separatism in a negative way. But accepting diversity is only half the story. There are too many extremists of all kinds across And that is our challenge today. Diversity is the entire political and racial spectrum who not an end in itself, although it is a very good think the only way they can advocate their own thing; it is simply the only way we can build ideas and build themselves up is by putting in a free society a larger community to which other people down, sometimes in the most dev- everyone belongs, in which everyone has a com- astatingly vicious ways. mon stake in the future, and in which everyone I say to all of you, we have to ask ourselves: can have a decent life. Do we still believe in Brown? And if we do, Anyone who knows the history of this organi- what are we prepared to do, not only to stand zation knows you don't have to have the same up for it but to make it real in our time? skin color to have the same values. But we also Tomorrow we must celebrate Brown with the have to be able to frankly speak about our prob- realization that a lot of folks have a mood that lems and our differences. threatens to sever the ties that bind us. And You know, I thought a lot about what I should we must confront a new segregationism that say here tonight, and I got all kinds of advice. would tear us apart. To do it, we must recognize Like I normally do when I get in trouble, I that Brown was ultimately not an answer but discarded it all and decided to say what I a challenge. And now 40 years later, you and thought. [Laughter] If you think about what's the LDF must challenge me and our Govern- going on todayÐwhat motivated Vernon to say ment, and together we must challenge the Na- what he did in his Urban League speech and tion to revitalize the meaning of Brown in our General Powell to say what he did, what moti- time. vates people to go hear Mr. Farrakhan in large When the courts were hearing Brown, Amer- crowdsÐwhat are all these cross currents? Why ica was reading a book by Ralph Ellison, called is it that we're having trouble living with Brown ``Invisible Man.'' He died just a month ago and living by Brown? Well, it's because Brown today. That book had an incredible impact on didn't solve all of our problems, and we've got 932 Administration of William J. Clinton, 1994 / May 16 some new problems. And in the face of those, you can say the wrong things and reject the there's more than one response, and it's really spirit of Brown and do nothing but cash in, tough.